activism
Feminist activists are not deterred by the daunting statistics so much as they're fueled by them.
#MeToo
I was 16 when I first realized that church deacons like 'em young. One night, I was an usher at a funeral for one of our deacons who had passed away. I went to the kitchen to take a breather for a moment. The church was packed with mourners, and having become close to the deacon and his family I was one of them but trying to comfort the others. It became a little too intense, and after reading the 23rd Psalm and almost breaking down, I thought I would hide for a moment until I regained composure.
By Maisha White8 years ago in Viva
Victims are People, Too
Your Honor, I would like to address the court and Mr. St. John so they know what has happened to me — not only the crime that has taken place, but the lingering effects and residuals that continue to haunt and live inside me. By making this statement, I am hoping to transfer some of the pain and suffering out of me and reduce some of the effects it has caused, in living my day-to-day life.
By Marianne Ryan8 years ago in Viva
Men, Let's Talk
In this last couple of days and weeks it’s been hard to avoid the fact of the disgraceful acts shown by Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein. The outrage shown by society and the injustices towards women has enraged and sparked a lot of women to follow the lead of Hollywood actor Alyssa Milano in hash tagging #Metoo to show that women aren’t alone in the fight against sexual harassment in public spaces or anywhere. The amount of comments and responses to the initial post has reached all corners of the globe and raised a lot of concerns and for me, a lot of sadness that the number of women have been left threatened and made to feel humiliated by men in a sexual way.
By Lachlan Mitchell8 years ago in Viva
An Open Letter To Victims of Domestic Abuse
I know it’s hard. I know sometimes you feel like you can’t possibly make it another day, but you can. I know that at times you feel so broken, so used and forgotten. You feel like you can’t possibly survive. At times you will see a story that reminds you that your relationship is not okay. It’s not healthy at best and dangerous at worst. You know that you can’t stay, but leaving seems impossible. Why should you have to give up so much in order to escape? Why are you being punished because he is a monster?
By Stephanie Marie8 years ago in Viva
Me Too
You see "Me too" on your Facebook and you think, "Stop making yourself a victim." You think, "Stop living in the past." You think, "You're exaggerating the problem, exaggerating the pain." And if you don't understand, you may think those are fair things to say. Honestly, that means you are lucky because that means that you've never felt the need to cover every inch of your body for fear of what will be said about skin showing. You've never walked down the street in fear you'll run into that one person you know always makes you feel uncomfortable because while you've stated you’re not interested they continue to make sexual advances. If you're against the "Me too" trend, as some are calling it, you've never sat in a room so self-conscious of your body you have no idea what anyone else is saying.
By Emma Bisel8 years ago in Viva
The Stigma Behind Stealthing
When I was 15 years old I was raped. I was forced into non-consensual sex with a boy I knew, who I had a crush on for quite a while. He wasn’t a stranger, he wasn’t older than me, and he wasn’t so violent that I was physically hurt. But he raped me nonetheless. So how come neither the nurses in the hospital or my closest friends believed me?
By Laura Holliday8 years ago in Viva
#metoo
So, the last few weeks have been filled with news from Hollywood about Harvey Weinstein and the numerous women coming forward with a voice. I've had a lot of thoughts go through my head about it all... "What a disgusting man," "What brave women," "Are men really supporting him?"
By Mel Dobson8 years ago in Viva
